


Just Enjoying the View

by BashfulTenrec



Category: The New Legends of Monkey (TV)
Genre: Extreme sports based relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Gods in awe of humans, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Post-Season/Series 01, Tripkey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BashfulTenrec/pseuds/BashfulTenrec
Summary: "What if we climb it?"Sandy and Pigsy looked at him like he had sprouted a second head, but Tripitaka perked right up."Okay! Sounds fun!"





	Just Enjoying the View

He was just drifting off to sleep under the starlight, racing thoughts finally quiet, when someone walked by his head. Unbelievable. Shuffling around with an irritated grunt, he settled back and tried to make his mind commit to falling asleep, and he thought he had succeeded, until another person went by a minute later and kicked a pebble into his forehead. Seriously?

Growling, Monkey’s eyes snapped open and saw the morning sun streaming through the trees. Sandy peered at him from across the remains of the fire and he sat up, checking his hair.

“Did someone walk by me last night?” he asked. He wasn’t mad; just wanted to beat them up for disturbing him. Although if it was Tripitaka, she probably had a good reason.

The god tilted her head, thinking. “Not that I know of. There was a deer in the forest. But nothing in the camp.”

For all her quirks, Sandy was a reliable night sentry considering she rarely slept, save for sporadic naps every once in a while. The gods took it in shifts since they weren’t as dependent on sleep compared to their young human charge, but Sandy definitely did far more than her share. That was fine by Pigsy, who would take his shift only after complaining about it, and Monkey, who was ambivalent but more than happy to let Sandy take over. When Sandy said she hadn’t seen anyone moving around, he fully believed her, but this time he couldn’t help but question.

“So nothing at all?”

“No.” Monkey followed her gaze to Tripitaka, who had just woken up. “Everyone was quiet.”

He noticed Sandy had turned her attention back to him. “Any interesting dreams?” She always liked listening to his retellings. But there wasn’t anything interesting this time.

He shook his head. For some reason he wanted to keep this mystery to himself. “Just someone disrupting my sleep, apparently.” Sandy seemed satisfied with his dismissal and they settled into a comfortable silence, Monkey allowing his mind to wander. Normally his dreams were memories that were vivid enough to walk around in and explore. He enjoyed watching what went on in the background, and found it interesting to overhear scraps of conversations he had missed the first time. Quite useful for remembering details of events buried by the countless years his immortality lent him, but not so useful when his mind decided to drudge up darker times of his life and force him to relive them. Unless there was a demon that had the ability to somehow bypass Sandy’s watchful eye, it had been a dream after all, but this one didn’t feel like a memory to him. Most perplexing.

Tripitaka wandered over and flopped down next to Sandy. “Morning,” she yawned.

“What do you dream about, Tripitaka?” Sandy inquired with her smile that always accompanied her curiosity.

Tripitaka shrugged, as always taking the somewhat personal inquiry in stride. “Anything, really. Last night I dreamed I was back in Monica’s tavern and the Shaman was at a table telling me to go get him the cat outside and I didn’t want to. He never explained why he wanted it.”

Monkey blinked. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Monkey, human dreams don’t have to make sense,” Sandy said. “Most of them can’t walk around in them or control what they see like you.”

Monkey sniffed. Humans and their limited minds were so strange. But at least her conjured hodgepodge hadn’t been another nightmare.

“What do you dream about, Sandy?” Tripitaka asked.

Sandy shook her head. “I never remember.”

“I usually dream about food.” Pigsy had been listening as he worked on breakfast. Tripitaka smiled at him and Monkey snorted.

“A pleasant thing to dream about, Pigsy,” Sandy murmured. “You’ll have to tell me more sometime.”

“Well you’ll have plenty of time today,” Tripitaka said brightly. “It’s going to be another full day on the road. The next town is a long ways off.”

Monkey sighed, snapping a twig into several pieces. These days had a tendency to be boring. But it may give him some time to try and pin down where in his long memory last night’s dream had originated. He wasn’t sure why, but this nagging feeling wasn’t showing any signs that it would be easily shaken off.

\---

It didn’t take long for the group to begin their daily march, and Monkey allowed himself to be drawn into the conversation about Pigsy’s dreams of food and Sandy trying (and failing) to come up with a scenario stranger than Tripitaka’s dreams. As much as he tried to stave off the curiosity that was burning up his mind about his strange occurrence last night, he kept finding himself distracted by it. When they stopped several hours later for a break and lunch, Monkey wandered off with the promise he’d be back soon.

Setting himself on the crest of a rocky hill, Monkey had decided that he’d figure this out once and for all and let himself drift into the calm meditative quiet the Master had taught him so long ago. He focused intently on the images and sensations of his dream last night, hoping to hone in on the exact place this nagging memory was from.

Monkey struggled to blink away the haze that covered his vision and groused in frustration when it didn’t clear. A small rustling caught his attention, and he focused on where it was coming from. A tiny child pulled themselves up into his field of vision, movements clumsy but full of earnest naïveté, letting out small sounds of effort. Monkey was annoyed. This kid was breaking his concentration. Their tiny hand slipped, prompting a shrill cry of fear as their small body jerked down a few inches. Monkey’s irritation at the disruption was overridden by his grumbling realization he should probably help the now crying kid, but he didn’t (couldn’t?) move. A muffled voice sharply barked from below, and the child abruptly disappeared from view.

Monkey breathed a sigh of relief. Good. No more distractions.

“Are you asleep?”

Monkey frowned. “No… I’m just thinking.”

“Ah… so that’s what that burning smell was.”

“Okay, rude,” Monkey retorted. “I’m trying to figure something out over here.”

“I’m sure you can walk and think at the same time, so get up. We’re leaving.”

Monkey opened his eyes to see Pigsy standing over him, leaning on his rake. He jumped up and dusted himself off. “Fine by me.” Pigsy turned and headed back. Monkey stretched and started to follow, but stopped. He turned back to look at the isolated rocky hill with the realization that they were in the middle of nowhere. He hadn’t seen any children for days.

Pigsy called for him again, and Monkey shook off his paranoia and trotted after him.

\---

Although Monkey tried to keep himself involved with the group’s lively conversation that afternoon, his nerves teetered on the edge of a knife and he drifted to the back. He kept checking his surroundings, half expecting to see either a demon leap out at them or a child staring eerily at him from the brush. Was he jumpy because something was actually hunting them, or was it that he wanted an easy answer to the riddle causing him so much grief? What if the answer he was searching for was something he didn’t want to know?

“Monkey? You okay?”

Monkey shook himself out of his brooding and glanced down into Tripitaka’s concerned eyes. He almost had to look away. She always knew.

“Of course, I’m fine,” he finally replied. “Why?”

“You’re just quiet, is all.” She gave him a playful nudge. “Wouldn’t want you getting lost in your own head.”

“Why, you think it’s too empty?” he said, raising an eyebrow as a challenge.

She grinned. “You said it, not me.” She laughed at Monkey’s grousing. Her face turned serious again. “But really, what’s going on with you? Something I- we- need to know?”

Monkey thumped his staff into the ground extra hard. For a moment, he considered telling her everything: about his dream, how it didn’t fit with what was normal with him, how he was doubting what he saw, how he had that feeling he was being messed with, by either some outside force or within his own head and that the latter option scared him more... How did she do that? How was she able to make him want to pour out his deepest concerns with just a look?

Why did that soft look make his ribs feel like a sun-filled room of butterflies?

He glanced around at their surroundings again, at Pigsy and Sandy a few paces ahead, at the flattened grass in their wake, and over to a very familiar mountain shape looming in the not too far distance that jogged his nostalgia.

“I know that mountain!” Monkey exclaimed instead, eagerly nudging Tripitaka and pointing to it. The other gods stopped and looked to where he was pointing. “It’s got a fantastic view from the top. I used to go there all the time on the cloud.”

“Did you, now?” Pigsy asked wryly. Monkey didn’t like his tone. “Why don’t you two go now? I’m sure Tripitaka would love to see it.”

Monkey looked at Tripitaka brightly, who looked apprehensive and shook her head. He’d noticed a pattern that ever since the Jade Mountain, whenever he suggested flying around on the cloud, she would turn him down. Maybe she didn’t want to be reminded of her near-death experience. A pity, because he was sure the cloud liked her.

“Well…” he frowned. He agreed with Pigsy; he really wanted to share with her that piece of his past. Even if the landscape had changed, he also wanted to spend time with her. “What if we climb it?”

Sandy and Pigsy looked at him like he had sprouted a second head, but Tripitaka perked right up.

“Okay! Sounds fun!”

He hadn’t expected that enthusiastic of a response from her, but he welcomed it. He bounced on his toes.

Now it was Tripitaka’s turn to be looked at strangely. “‘Okay?’” Sandy echoed. “Why?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been free climbing since I was six. It could be a nice challenge.”

“I don’t know if the two of you remember, but isn’t there some sort of quest we need to be undertaking?” Pigsy asked dryly.

Tripitaka looked crestfallen, but Monkey immediately jumped in. “We can get a better view of the area from the top,” he declared. Tripitaka perked up again and nodded eagerly.

Pigsy sighed and rolled his eyes. “You two are so weird.” He glanced over at the peak. “I reckon we’ll reach the base near nightfall. I wouldn’t mind camping around for a day while you two have your fun. I’m sure the quest can wait just a bit longer.”

Tripitaka looked at Sandy in a silent invitation, who shook her head, to Monkey’s relief. “That does not sound like fun to me, Tripitaka.”

“But do you mind?” she pressed.

Sandy glanced around, getting lost in her own thoughts. “You do what you need to do. I can wait.”

The four continued on, Tripitaka now recounting tales of her climbs to Sandy. Monkey was just happy that the prospect of climbing a mountain had distracted Tripitaka from any probing questions that he didn’t want to confront. He was also happy for a distraction himself.

Pigsy pulled Monkey aside. “I’m familiar with this mountain too. It does have a great view.” His eyes narrowed, and Monkey fidgeted under his scrutiny. “It also has a reputation from aerially-inclined gods such as yourself.”

Monkey kept his face carefully neutral.

“So am I to understand the fact the locals call it ‘Make-out Peak’ has nothing whatsoever to do with your motivations?”

“It has a nice view!” Monkey spluttered, reddening.

“Monkey.” Pigsy pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It’s a nice mountain. We both like climbing things. I’ll look after her.”

“If you try anything…”

“Nothing is going to happen; I don’t know what it is you’re expecting I’ll do!” Monkey hissed. “Even if something did, then you’ll have to wait your turn to kick my ass because Sandy will definitely get to it faster than you,” Monkey seethed. “But it’s not like that. It’ll never be like that.”

“Sure.” Pigsy was wildly unconvinced. “Just be aware I’ve got a personalized bolt of lightning with your name on it and if she comes back upset I’m going to cram it so far up your-”

“Come up with original threats,” Monkey snapped, eyes rolling. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. She… We don’t even think of each other in that way you’re implying.”

Pigsy looked unimpressed but mercifully let the subject drop and left him alone.

Did she think of him like that…? No, of course not. Tripitaka cared about all of them equally. She was focused on the quest. She- all of them, himself included- were here to save the world from being overrun with demons, not fall in-

He blinked, the thought snapping in half. That wasn’t going to happen. She didn’t feel that way about him. It couldn’t happen anyway. Mortal humans and immortal gods never end well. They were just questing together. And when this journey was all over they’d part ways.

His heart lurched. Following Tripitaka around was a routine that was now as natural to him as breathing. The mere concept that, in the not so distant future, he wouldn’t be doing that, made his stomach churn.

\---

Pigsy had grumbled about his turn to stay on watch that night, but Sandy was apparently tired of volunteering and wanted to sleep, and Monkey certainly did not want to be alone with his thoughts. Tripitaka was already asleep, her eyes moving under her eyelids as she dreamed whatever silly things humans dreamed about. Monkey smiled to himself, letting that thought and the crackling of the fire relax him into sleep, the mountain they were going to climb tomorrow standing guard.

A bright light flashed, snapping Monkey awake and staring into the darkness that surrounded him. Rain fell in sheets as he blinked blearily ahead. That was going to hamper their efforts to climb in the morning. Maybe Pigsy and Sandy wouldn’t mind waiting around for a bit longer if this didn’t clear up?

Speaking of which, where were they? Where was Tripitaka?

He frowned. Something was speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear over the downpour echoing in his ears, and he strained to listen to the cries.

“Wake up, please! Monkey!”

_“Monkey!”_

“You know, for someone who wanted so badly to climb the mountain the next day, you sure are sleeping a lot.”

Monkey peeled his eyes open and looked around in confusion. It was late morning. The rain must’ve drained away overnight. He didn’t remember falling back asleep, though. Tripitaka stood over him with a knowing, but playful grin.

“Sleep well?” She stifled a laugh. “Sleep enough?”

Monkey sat up, blinking groggily. “Yes and yes. Gods need sleep too, monk.”

She ignored his feigned grouchiness with a smile and shoved a plate of cold food at him. “Hurry up and eat. While you were sleeping like a rock, I’ve already planned out the best route to climb. Unless you were just planning to just jump up and start from right here?”

…Perhaps. Planning a route hadn’t actually occurred to him; he was still in the mindset of simply calling for the cloud and going straight for the top. But she didn’t need to know that.

“’Course not,” he mumbled around a mouthful. “Just hadn’t gotten to it yet.”

“Of course,” she echoed. She definitely didn’t believe him. “Even though this is the best route, if we start soon and don’t dawdle going up, it will still probably take all day. According to Pigsy, if you walk along the peak, there’s an easy way down the opposite side, and then I suppose we can speed back on the cloud, but, you know, close to the ground. If it arrives at all. If not, the others say it’s fine to spend another day here as we hike back.”

Monkey tried not to feel hurt on the cloud’s behalf. It had been well-behaved ever since their reunion at the Jade Mountain. As much as he’d love to take her soaring in the sky, it was still probably too soon to expect her to trust the cloud as easily as he did.

Once he’d finished scarfing down the cold breakfast, she led him a ways around the base of the mountain, where the way up indeed looked somewhat easier. He was quite grateful for her prior planning.

“Oh yes, this will definitely do.” He glanced down at her. “You should go first.”

Tripitaka crinkled her nose. “Why?”

“So if you fall I can catch you?” Monkey replied in confusion.

“I won’t fall.”

He was taken aback at her confidence, but went on, “Besides if I went first and somehow fell, I doubt you could catch me.”

“No, I’d just get out of your way.” Again with the cool confidence. Where was that coming from all of a sudden? “But that is unusually reasonable of you, Monkey. Fine, I’ll go first. Although I have to wonder if you have an ulterior motive. Were you thinking you could enjoy the view without me noticing?” She had a challenging, yet amused look on her face.

Monkey blinked at her, face flushing. Fine, maybe the thought had occurred to him in the back of his mind a few… dozen times. He wasn’t proud of it. But it wasn’t his main reason for doing all this. She knew that, right? Flustered, he fumbled around for something to defend himself, and sighed in defeat when she turned to size up the cliff. He had taken too long to respond.

“It doesn’t look like an easy climb,” she said. “If you’re not focused on the task at hand or not looking where you’re supposed to, you could easily fall.” She glanced back at him innocently. “Would be a shame if that fickle cloud of yours chose today to not answer your summons.”

Right. He swiftly nodded. Mollified, she smiled and without another word started to climb, ascending several feet before Monkey knew what was happening. She looked more at home up on the rock face than she did on the ground. He blinked and realized he should follow. As much as he’d love to watch her go, he had a mountain to climb.

As time went on, Tripitaka continued to impress Monkey. She was able to hold onto the tiniest of cracks with her small hands and practically scamper up the wall with seemingly little thought while he had to brute force his way through and, as Tripitaka estimated before they began, focus and carefully plan his movements. Monkey may be named after a skilled climber, but Tripitaka could easily rival him.

“Do you think you’d have been friends with the real Tripitaka?”

“What?” Monkey glanced up, and was only mildly surprised to see her hanging casually off by one hand to peer down at him better. “What do you mean the real Tripitaka? That’s you.”

“Well, no, Gaxin was originally supposed to take on the name and journey with you. Then he died and I… Well. Here I am, I guess.”

Monkey vaguely remembered her mentioning Gaxin. He sounded awfully boring.

“From what you’ve told me, I prefer your company,” he offered, hoisting himself up another foot. “I highly doubt he’d be here climbing a mountain with me just because I said there was a great view at the top.”

She smiled at this, still swinging loosely by one hand. The grip strength on this girl was incredible.

He pulled himself up until he was level with her. “I don’t know why you’re under the impression you’re some cheap replacement for what you think is the real Tripitaka.” He debated over what to say next, but then decided to go for it. “Maybe you were the one that was meant to find me all along. But maybe you weren’t. You still got me out of the rock and made your own future and took on this journey. And… I’m glad you did.”

Inwardly he cringed. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the concept of destiny. But upon seeing Tripitaka blush and duck her head, he knew he’d said the right thing. His heart warmed.

They continued on in a comfortable silence, both focused on the challenge above them. Monkey thought about how much fun he was having, and wondered about how much he might have missed just by doing things on the cloud instead of like Tripitaka or other such grounded, cloudless people. He doubted he’d be enjoying himself as much if he was alone. Would he be having as much fun if he was with anyone else other than Tripitaka?

Speaking of which, she had paused above him. Monkey halted his movements and watched her work. Her face was scrunched in concentration as she searched for a better spot to hang onto, hand stretched above her head, feeling around.

“Trouble?” he asked.

“Shush. I’m thinking,” she said with a frown, now staring fixedly at a spot above her head and just out of her reach.

“Well if you need-” Monkey began and cut off with a sharp yelp as she sprang up off the rock face, grabbed at the seemingly out of reach hold, missed, and fell back to where she started, showering him with loosened pebbles and dirt. “Tripitaka-!”

She lunged upwards again, this time her iron grip catching the rock and holding true. She sighed, and glanced down to catch him staring up at her, slack-jawed. “What?”

“Are you serious?” Monkey finally bit out once his heart finally restarted. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I told you, I won’t fall,” she reminded him. “But the look on your face is priceless.”

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about me. If you die on my watch, Sandy and Pigsy will murder me,” he muttered.

“I’m telling you, I’ve been free climbing since I was six,” she reminded him with a playful roll of her eyes.

“In the grand scheme of things that’s not many years of practice,” Monkey groused. Tiny, young, reckless human… “Would you warn me next time you’re going to launch yourself off the rock?”

She continued to smile down at him. “You’re really sweet when you worry.”

“I’m always worried. Humans are fragile.” He hoisted himself up again. “But… that was really cool,” he admitted.

Her smile widened.

As the day went on Tripitaka showed off her skill and taught him various rest holds as he got his grip back. She would even correct Monkey on his technique and show him ways to stack his hands in cracks to make his hold more secure as he found better footing. Monkey didn’t mind a little human knowing more than he did. He quite enjoyed it, especially being under her watchful, critical gaze.

“How did you learn all this stuff?” he finally asked her.

“Practice. Lots of practice,” she replied. “Climbing and studying were my favorite things to do growing up, although the Scholar didn’t approve of me climbing around everywhere, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop me.” She looked wistful, and Monkey found himself wishing that he could’ve met her Scholar that had spent his life devoted to uncovering his prison and mounting a resistance to the demons, all while raising an apparently rambunctious Tripitaka. As Tripitaka rolled onto a ledge and turned to help him up next to her, he smiled at the thought of what a spirited handful she must have been as a child.

He noticed she was looking at him quizzically. “What?”

“You’re lost in thought again,” she informed him. “You’re doing that a lot lately.”

At least this time he wasn’t worried about his dreams. He had been so wrapped up in their climb together that he’d entirely forgotten, and now those feelings of unease came crashing back in. But he shook his head. “Just imagining how much of a wild child you were,” he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. “Not as much as you, probably.”

“Probably,” he conceded.

She offered him some of her lunch that she’d packed in her pouch. “Wonder how Pigsy and Sandy are getting along.”

“Pigsy is most likely sleeping and Sandy is most likely playing in the river or writing,” Monkey said, waving them off. “They said they’d be fine.”

“They’re probably enjoying an afternoon away from you,” she teased.

He looked down his nose at her, wondering if he should feel wounded or not. “Are you not enjoying being trapped on the face of a mountain with me?”

It was her turn to scoff. “I’m not by any stretch of the imagination trapped up here, Monkey.” She continued to munch on her food, giving him a sidelong look. “But I am enjoying myself, yes. You’ve been very well behaved.” He gave her a sour pout and she burst out laughing. He couldn’t help but love the sound and cracked a grin with her. She stood up and dusted herself off, any sign of weariness gone in her excitement. “Come on then. The view here is great, but we still have a ways to go.”

Monkey stuffed the last piece of bread in his mouth and stood up, keeping his head low so it didn’t hit the overhanging growth of rock above it. Tripitaka was lucky she was short, he noted as she pulled herself up and out of view. For some reason, the sight of her disappearing legs as he stood in the side of the mountain struck a chord of familiarity in him that he couldn’t explain. He shook himself and followed her.

Despite being revitalized by the rest and lunch, Monkey struggled for a time to get back into the steady pace he had before their break. Tripitaka didn’t comment, but she did climb noticeably slower for his sake. As much fun as he was having, Monkey considered that in the future he could just watch her work from the cloud just to see how fast she could actually climb without being hindered by him. He briefly imagined taking her back to the Jade Mountain and telling her he’d be waiting at the top while watching her climb in her sure footed way. Another thought for another time, he mused.

“If I’d known how much more convenient shorter hair was for climbing, I’d have cut this all off years ago,” she called down to him.

Monkey tossed his head as the wind whipped his locks into his face. “Can’t imagine you with longer hair.” As soon as he spoke he realized that wasn’t true. He could easily picture her climbing a cliff face just like this one, wind pulling gently at her long dark hair, another pang of nostalgia reverberating through him. Although unlike the previous feelings of unease he had, this time he wasn’t worried at all. It was almost comforting, which was even stranger to him.

“Monkey? It looks like this last bit before the top is not as easy as the rest of it,” Tripitaka told him over her shoulder.

“The rest of it was easy to you?” Monkey replied dryly as he wedged his bent knees into a crack like she’d shown him before so he could shake out his arms.

“Well…” her voice was still remarkably playful despite a day of exertion. “If you’re going to get lost in your own head again, best get it out of the way right now.”

“Thanks for the warning, little monk…” Monkey said with a roll of his eyes.

As usual for today, she was right, and Monkey was more than happy for a distraction from his thoughts. The last push of their climb certainly was more challenging, and from the snatches he could get, even Tripitaka’s delighted smile had been changed in for a focused look of deep concentration. The sun hung low in the sky as the two finally reached the summit, rolling over onto their backs to stare at the clouds beginning to be painted with the colors of the impending sunset.

Tripitaka craned her neck over and held up a balled fist. “We did it.”

Monkey cracked a triumphant grin and returned the gesture. “So we did.”

Tripitaka abruptly sat up and propped herself up on her hands, staring at the view before them before glancing down at Monkey, still lying on his back. “We should do this again sometime. It was fun.”

“I mean, I’d have to clear my schedule tomorrow…” Monkey replied, struggling to keep his face neutral as she giggled and lightly hit his shoulder. He grunted and sat up to look at the view sprawling before them. She sighed.

“Nothing is quite like being up on a mountain, you know. Your problems just seem so far away.”

“Told you it was a nice view,” Monkey said smugly. “Shame the others didn’t want to come along,” he said as a grudging, obligatory afterthought.

“Well…” Tripitaka thought for a moment. “Pigsy said he was already familiar with it. And Sandy seems more of a depths person, not a heights person. Besides,” she said, shuffling to get more comfortable, “Sometimes it’s nicer with fewer people around.”

“I-” Monkey’s mouth closed. Had she gotten closer or was he imagining it? “Well we tried to get them to come along. Their loss.”

They sat in quiet for a while, waiting for the sun to sink below the horizon. Monkey was amazed at how easy it was to just _be_ with Tripitaka. Normally he was uncomfortable with silence and quickly bored by stillness, but sitting next to her and just being peaceful and quiet in her company was different. It meant the world to him. Tripitaka occasionally pointed to a funny-looking hill or pattern dotting the ground far below, and Monkey pointed out what forests he didn’t remember being there five centuries ago or however else the landscape had changed. After another comfortable silence, Tripitaka piped up again.

“You know, you have your cloud and a lot of your powers back. You could just as easily collect the remaining scrolls yourself.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want to.” He tried to think of something clever to say but gave up. “I’d rather be with you.”

Tripitaka shrugged, resting her chin on her arms, giving him a searching sidelong look. “You don’t have to hold yourself back and stay. I know how annoyed you can get at all the walking and being bored. And it probably would be better for the world if you went on ahead and did it yourself-”

“I don’t understand why you’re trying to get rid of me,” Monkey interjected, puzzled. “You’ve made your choice to take on this journey, and I’ve made mine to go with you. I’m here for as long as you need.”

Tripitaka smiled softly and, to Monkey’s surprise, fully rested her head on his shoulder. Monkey’s heart did a somersault but quickly welcomed the contact, leaning into it.

Hesitantly, he reached up and offered a hand to her, and she smiled and accepted, letting him wrap his hand around hers, not taking her eyes off the horizon.

“Your hands feel scraped up,” she informed him quietly. Monkey reluctantly let her go to examine his roughed up fingertips and palm. She held her hands out too, and Monkey was surprised to see that hers were equally scraped and shot her a concerned look.

“Worth it,” she said firmly. She scooted closer and returned her head to its place on his shoulder. Hesitantly, Monkey put his arm around her small shoulders, his heart fluttering when she didn’t shy away, instead continuing to smile softly at the horizon. Monkey’s eyes traced her small hand, marked with scrapes and roughened skin. It was just like the girls’ hands had appeared in his dreams. Unless, he mused, closing his hand back around Tripitaka’s, they hadn’t been dreams.

He blinked. They weren’t. They had been memories after all, memories of girls climbing past him as he slept in the rock.

No, not many girls, he realized. One girl, growing up. It had been his little monk all along. Maybe that’s why on some level it felt completely natural to him to follow her, like a shadow follows light or how summer follows spring. He stared at her, a small smile on his face.

She looked over to him and noticed him staring. “What?”

His smile widened a little and he shook his head. “Nothing.” He realized he’d missed the sunset completely as he’d been lost in thought, and he didn’t even care. He nodded at the remains of the sunset but met her eyes again. “Just enjoying the view.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fictional mountain is based on El Capitan, a famous mountain in the free solo climbing community.
> 
> Thanks as always to my editor in chief and executive producer hangryeowyn, and thanks for reading and commenting!


End file.
